Chechen Terrorism (Russia, Chechnya, Separatist)

1.

Where in the Russian Federation would you find Chechnya?

In Russias North Caucasus region.

2.

How are the Chechens different from the Russians?

They are mostly governed by Moscow and have been fighting for
independence from Russia as a whole.
3.

Did the Chechens gain independence from tsarist Russia after the

1917 Russian Revolution? Explain.

Yes they gained independence by joining other ethnic groups to form one
republic. But later that year the Soviet Union took control and turned it
into a Soviet providence called the Chechen Autonomous Oblast.
4.

What did Stalin do to the Chechens during WWII? Why did he do

this?
Stalin disbanded the Chechens and deported their entire population to
Siberia and Kazakhstan. He did this because he accused them of
collaborating with Nazi invaders during World War II.
5.

Who changed their fate, and how was their fate changed?

Boris Yeltsin changed Chechnyas fate by opposing their independence

saying they were a part of Russia. They later went to war and Yeltsin
signed a cease fire/peace treaty a few years later. Their fight for
independence was going well but they continued to get into another war
and more people died which did not help their cause.
6.

What was the first Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why?

Results?]
A war to fight for independence against Russia from 1994-1996. Russia
failed to control them and it gave the Chechens independence after
Yeltsin signed a cease fire/peace treaty.
7.

When was the second Chechen War? [Who started it? When? Why?

Results?]
In 2000 the second Chechen War began when Russia recaptured the
Chechen capital of Grozny and destroying part of the city. Thousands of
Russian and Chechens were killed in the war. Violent acts continued over
the next several years between the two groups.
8.

Prior to his death in 2006, the separatist Basayev was deemed to be

responsible for the most notorious event to that point in time. Identify
this event. How many deceased militants in this event were NOT
Chechen? Why might this be a significant change in the Chechen Wars?
Basayev was a part of acts such as killing over 300 people while sieging a
school in Beslan, hostage takings in 2002 and other radical actions. He
was named the vice president of the Chechen rebel movement in 2006.
This is a significant change in both Chechen Wars because he brought a
whole new type of killing into this. Since he is a terrorist there are so
many dangerous acts he was capable of doing.
9.

According to the American ambassador to Russia, what terrorist

group is assisting the Chechen rebels? How/why might Americans who

were once sympathetic to the Chechen cause for independence from the
Russian Federation have changed?
The group assisting Chechen rebels is called Islamic International
Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB). Americans now are somewhat against
helping the Chechens gaining independence since they are part of alQaeda. Now, America isnt fully behind them since they dont support alQaeda groups.
10. Do you believe the Russians should grant Chechnya their
independence? Why or why not? [Answer this question in paragraph
format (minimum of six sentences).]

I believe they should because they are totally different than Russia in
many ways. The Chechens have been fighting for independence for so
long so I think they deserve a chance to be their own nation. There have
been over thousands of deaths over the two wars and there is no need for
that anymore. Terrorist actions need to stop and innocent lives dont
need to be in jeopardy anymore for trying to gain peace. I think
Chechnya deserves to start their own nation since everyone should get
the opportunity to do what they want. If they dont succeed someone
else can help them or take them in under their wing.